In the heart of America, in a little town about 40 minutes Northwest of Des Moines, Iowa, there’s an amazing 40 room boutique hotel that’s perfect for a romantic getaway, weekend retreat, or business meetings.

My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa in December 2016 and had a wonderful getaway. Each room is individually decorated with themes from around the world, such as the Italian, Russian or Asian rooms. The rooms also pay tribute to icons, such as Louis Armstrong, and crafts such as quilting and woodworking. Visit www.hotelpattee.com and you can see photos of some of the rooms.

We stayed in the Louis Armstrong suite and loved every minute that we were there. There’s a large sitting area with a wood-burning fireplace. Yes, they will come and light it for you if you’d like to end your day by the fireplace. There’s a huge bedroom with antique furnishings and a comfortable king-size bed. Attention to detail is evident in the furnishing right down to fresh-baked cookies in the hallway at night leading to your rooms. On the walls of the suite, you’ll find photos of Louis Armstrong along with old movie posters and other memorabilia. And the bathroom was amazing with its marble double sinks, large jacuzzi tub, and glassed-in shower. The expense was not spared when this hotel was originally renovated. You really wouldn’t need to leave the room, but then you’d miss the rest of the hotel.

There are a hot tub, a dry and wet sauna area, and a two-lane bowling alley that you can reserve and bowl. It was just the two of us bowling the evening that we were there. The hotel also has a restaurant with a lot of great food choices and a bar for drinks before and after dinner. We have friends that stayed last year and the hotel had a live band one of the evenings. There are also great bike trails and it’s not far from Des Moines if you’re looking for more to do.

I would stay here again and the Louis Armstrong suite was worth the price!